Seed and grain scarifier and cleaner



Feb. 17, 1931. Q BQYER 1,793,385

SEED AND GRAIN SCARIFIER AND CLEANER Filed March '1, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet l I Feb. 17, 1931. Q BQYER 7 1,793,385

SEED AND GRAIN SCARIFIER AND CLEANER Filed March 1-, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 q vi/lmeoo Feb. 17, 1931. Q BQYER 1,793,385

SEED AND GRAIN SCARIFIER AND CLEANER Filed March 1, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 WWW l Wvtmew azz'yarzoyer- Patented Feb. 1' 7, 1931 iuNir E' srar* OLIVER Borne, or-srnlvonnvirnn, onro sEEnANn Gal-iris SCILRIFIEE- Ann CLEANER Application filed March 1,

I a n achine of such construction vasto efiec-' tively loosen the hulls and carry them oil and to then thoroughly clean the seed and discharge 1t for sacking, provision being made whereby any or the seed still retaining the hulls will be automatically returned for retr-eatment, thereby producing a great sav-, ing over-machines heretofore employed, in which-the scarified and unscarified seed are not separated and in which all-of the seed must be repeatedly run through the machine" I until hull-removing is complete.

tion.

The machine embodies screening means for the seed after the scarifying Grim-11 loosening operation has been performed and it is a further object to provide novelmeans for directing an upward current of air through this screen, of proper strength regardless'of the speed at which the machine is driven, the air. current serving to prevent lodging of any chaii' or hulls in the screenand serving to carry them on to a discharge means, preferably in the formof a blower. I

To scarity the seed and thus loosen the hulls thereon, a, concave and cylinder as-. sembly isprovided, said assembly discharging onto the screening means above men tioned, and it is a further object of the invention to provide unique means whereby the seed may be by-passed around this cylinder and concave assembly, if the machine is to be used totally for seed or grain cleaning, without performing any scarifying opera- Yet another aim is to provide a machine which will be comparatively simple and inexpensive, yet will be efficient, reliable and in every way desirable.

WVith the foregoing in view, the invention resides, in the novel subject matter hereinafter described and claimed, description being accomplished by reference tothe. accompanying drawings. I

1225. Serial no. 258,221. I

Figs. 1 and 2 are side elevations showing the opposite sides of the machine. I I I Fig; 31s substantially a central vertical.

longitudinal sectional view.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to a portion of Fig. 3, showing the parts set for bypassing the seed or grain around the concave and cylinder-assembly.

The form or" construction selected for illustration in the present-application, will be rather specifically described, with the understanding that within. the scope of the invention as claimed, variations may bemade; i The numeral 5- denotes an appropriate frame -structure whiclrcarrie's twosubstan- 6 tially ll-shaped side walls 6, whose horizontally extending portions are connected by a top wall 7, said top wall being'connected with the top of a channel-shaped hood 8' disposedatthefdelivery end of the machine, said hood communicating with the eye of a blower 9 which discharges the chaff, hulls and the like. 1".

Mounted on the frame 5, at the end thereof'remote from the. blower 9,-is a hopper 10 to receive the grain or seed to be scari-. fied or cleaned, or both. Rising-from this hopper to elevatetheseedtherefrom, is an appropriate elevator 11 whos'einlet is controlled by a suitable adjustable valve 12. The upper s end of this elevator dischargesinto a hopper 13' carried by the upper .portionofthe frame 5, and at the outlet of this hopper, an appropriate agitator 14 is -provided,'said. outlet being controlled by a valve 15. This valve is preferably of a sliding type, controlled by a pinion 16, rack 17 and hand cranklS, and appropriate means .19 may be provided for locking the hand crank to hold the valve in desired set position.

Under vthe hopper 13 to receive. the seed or the like therefrom, is vibratory screen 20, one end of which may well be supported by rollers or the like 21 while its other end is supported by linkage or the like 22 having an actuating'arm 23 connected to the upper end of the rod 24, which rod is verticallyvibratcylinder and concave assembly 2 cylmder 28 and concave 29 are provided withseed or the like to pass, it holds back all pieces of stone or other foreign matter and discharges them at its lower end. The seed passing through the screen 20 is received in assembly is provided witha seed outlet 32.

An angular passage 33 extends around one side 01" the assembly 27, from the inlet 31 to a point below the outlet 32,and said outlet opens into said passage. At the upper end of the passage 33, is a pivoted valve 34 controllable in any desired manner from the exterior of the machine. lVhen seed or the like is to be directed into the assembly 27, the valve 34, is positioned to close the upper end of the passa e 33 as seen inFig. 3, and when valve 34: is in this position, another valve 35 which is provided for the outlet 32,

is in the open position disclosed in Fig. 3,

within the passage33. Thus, the seed will pass through the assembly 24 and will discharge from the lower endci-the passage 33, so that'the hulls or the likeon said seed are loosened by the scarifying means 30. W hen the machine is to be used for. cleaning pur poses only, the valve 34 is-positioned as in Fig. e to direct the seed from the inlet 31, into the upper end of the passage 33. Then, the valve 35 is closed to prevent any of the seed traveling down this passage, "from possibly entering the assembly 27 through the outlet 32. Likethe valve 34:, the valve 35 may be operated in any desired manner from the exterior oi the machine.

Under the assembly 27 and declining from the latter to the hood 8, I provide vibratory screening means 36 preferably hung upon 7 pivoted hangers 37. This screening-means embodies an upper relatively coarse screen 38and alower comparatively fine screen 39. Both the scarified and the unscarified seed pass through the upper screen 38 but hulls and ehatl remain upon the latter and feed toward the lower end thereof into the hood 8 from which they are carried off by the blower 9. Only the hull-free seed however, passes through the lower screen'39, any of the seed still bearing the hulls, being discharged from the lower end of this screen 39 into a transverse conveyor 40 which leads to an elevator 41.- This elevator delivers it to the hopper 13. Thus any seed which passes through the machine without having its hulls properly scariiied and removed, is returned to said hopper for retreatment.

Disposed under the screening means 36,

is a sand screen e2 which declines toward the hopper 10. Preferably, the upper end of this screen is pivoted at 43 to the screening means 36, while the lower portion of said screen 42 is slidably supported by appropriate shoes or the like a l. The hull-free seed does not pass through this screen 42, but all sand and tine dirt Sifts through it and is hence separated from the seed. The clean,

hull-free seed is received in a transverse conveyor 45 leading to an elevator 46 having a sacking spout. ln the present showing, two of these spouts a? are-disclosed,'and the grain or the like may be directed into either of them by an appropriate valve 48.

Between the widelyseparated end portions of the screening means 36-42, is a fan hous mg 49 having an outlet throat formed by upper and lower adjustable plates 50, said throat opening into the space between said screening means. Within casing 49, 1s a fan 51 which discharges a current of air toward the blower 9, and thedirection of discharge may be controlled by setting the plates 50 at desired positions, which set-tin may be effected by appropriate means 52.

Under the screening means 36 and in the path of the air current from the fan 51, are a numberot horizontally spaced, inclined vanes 53 which serve to direct air upwardly through the screens 38-739, to prevent chaii,

hulls and ,tl e like from lodging in these screens, part1cularly the uppermost thereof. The air which loosens the hulls and the like iromthe screens, carries it on to the hood 8, and'thi's' operation is assisted by the suction created by the blower 9. When the machine is being rapidlydriven, the vanes 53 should be set nearer to. minimum efiiciency position, (in the presentinstance, nearer to parallel relation with the screening means 36) than when the machine is being slowly operated, and with speed decrease, said vanes should be moved in the opposite direction, (toward maximum eflicie'ncy position). Thus, regardless of the speed atwhich the machine be driven, it is insured that the air currents throughthe screening means 36, be of proper strength. I provide means for automatically effecting proper setting of these vanes, according to the speed at which the machine is being driven. In the present showing, the vanes are mounted on independent shaitsh journaled in the side walls 6. These pivot shafts 54: are provided with arms 55 at one end, disposed in parallel relation with each other and connected pivotally with a longitudinal bar-56. By means of a link 57, one end of a bell crank lever 58 is connected with the bar:56, the other end of said bell crank being connected to the vertically movable member 59 of a ball governor 60, said governor being driven synchronously with other driven parts of the machine. As the speed of the machine increases, the member59 actuates the parts 5857i56v55 54 53, moving the latter toward parallel relation with the screening means 36, pro

a portionately with the speed increase, and as decrease in speed occurs, the opposite setting of the vanes 23 is effected. Thus, at high speed of the'ma chine, the aircurrents di rected through the screening means 36 cannot be so strong as to blow the grain'or the like therefrom into the hood It is also insured that at slow speed, the'air currents directed upwardly through the screening means shall be suficiently strong to attain the desired movementofchaif and the like";

At 61, I have shown a pitman operated by an eccentric 62 and connected with the screening means 36 for vibrating the latter.

The rod 24 previously described, is also con nected to this pitman to be driven by the eccentric 62 for the purpose of efiecting. vibration of the screen 20 and pan 25. 'The shaft .63 of the eccentric and the various other shafts of the, numerous parts to be driven, may all be connected by pulleys and belting 6465, or in any other desired manner.

The concave 29 ofthe concave cylinder assembly 27, is by preference mounted adjustably so that it may be moved into more or less close relation with the cylinder 28.

However, as :suchadjustments could be effected by any lmownmeans and such means in itself constitutes no part of the present invention, it has not been illustrated.

I claim v 1. A. seed scarifying and cleaning machine comprising a framehaving a horizontally elongated lower portion and a vertical portion rising from one end of said lower portion, opposed side walls secured to said lower portion and extending to the other end thereof, a top extending between the upper portionsof said side walls from said'verti-.

'munication with said pan outlet, vibratory screening means in said horizontal portion ofthe frame between said side walls and declining from a point under said cylinder and concave assembly to said suction hood,

said screening means embodying a long and coarse upper screen whose lower end discharges into said suction hood, and a relatively short and fine lower screen, a transfixed my signature.

verse conveyor intoiwhichj the lower end ofsaid lower screen discharges and an'elevator from thisconveyor'to said hopper, a vibra;

tory sand iscreen under said screening means and declined in the oppositedirection, a clean seed conveyor into wlnch the lowerend ofsaid sand screen discharges, and a blower between the widely spaced ends of said sand screen and said screening means.

for directing a current of air between them. 2. In a seed cleaner, a vibratory screen, means for creating a current of an under said screen, vanes in the path of theair'icurl rent for directing air upwardly through the screen, means for driving said current creating means, and speed-responsive means synchronized with said driving means for moving said vanes toward minimum effi-- cieney position proportionately with speed I vincrease of said current creating means.

3..In a seed cleaner, a vibratory screen,

means-for creating a current of air-underf said screen, pivotally mounted vanes in the path of the air current, a bar transverse to the vane pivots, means connecting said bar and pivots for swinging the vanes when the bar is longitudinally moved, 'a governor synchronized [with said current creating means,

and means connecting said governor with said bar to swing said-vanes toward minimum efficiency position proportionately with speed increase of. said current creating;

means. Y

4, In a seedclean'er, a vibratory screen, v

means for creating a current of air under saidcscreen, pivotally mounted vanes in the path of the air current for directing airtipwardly through the screen, arms secured to the pivots of said vanes anddisposed inparallel relation with each other, a bar pivoted to said arms, a bell crank having one end connected with said bar, and a governor synchronized with said current creating means and embodyinga speed-afiected member connected with the other end of said bell crank, whereby to swing said vanes toward minimum efiiciency position proportionately with speed increase of saidcurrent-creating means.

In testimonywhereof I have hereunto afomvnn BQYER. 

